Leadership

Ellen Sas became President of Seattle Savings Bank in April 2008. She was formerly the Chairman of the Board, President and CEO of Northstar Financial Corporation, a bank holding company previously headquartered in Seattle prior to its sale to Frontier Bank in 2006. Ellen led the growth of Northstar Bank, quadrupling its asset size in five years and generating record profitability and returns. She was recognized in 2005 as one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Banking by U.S. Banker Magazine. During her tenure at Frontier, Ellen was a member of Frontier's executive team and served as Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer. In this role, she was responsible for the initialization and adoption of an enterprise risk management governance structure for the $4 billion commercial bank. Ellen has also been an independent consultant to banking clients and a partner in the public accounting firm of Knight, Vale & Gregory (now McGladrey & Pullen LLP), where she specialized in the financial services industry. Ellen is a graduate of the University of Washington.

Gary Carlson, Senior Vice President. Gary Carlson is Senior Vice President/Chief Administrative Officer for Seattle Financial Group and Senior Vice President/Chief Lending Officer of Seattle Savings Bank. Gary has 30 years of experience in commercial and real estate banking with large national and international banks. He joined Seattle Savings Bank in 2003 and is responsible for commercial lending activity and is a member of the executive management team. Gary holds a bachelor's degree in finance and accounting from the University of Washington and is a graduate of Pacific Coast Banking School.

John Marshall, Senior Vice President/Chief Financial Officer, joined Seattle Financial Group in 2001 following 26 years with a family-owned diversified financial services company, also based in Seattle. John oversees financial management of all operations. He is a graduate of the University of Puget Sound and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Cliff Ridgway is a Senior Vice President and Senior Relationship Manager with the Commercial Banking Division. Cliff has served the needs of commercial customers and small business for over 35 years. He brings exceptional skills and a proven track record in meeting the needs of business owners and helping them meet their goals. Cliff is a graduate of Washington State University and Pacific Coast Banking School.

Donald Roberts, Senior Vice President/Bank Operations, joined Seattle Savings Bank in 2007 and is responsible for bank operations and client service. Donald brings a broad range of experience earned over 30 years in banking. Prior to joining Seattle Savings Bank, Donald was instrumental in launching Square 1 Bank, a new commercial bank headquatered in Durham, North Carolina.

Philippe Swaab joined Seattle Savings Bank as Senior Vice President in 2007. Philippe is responsible for the development of the Northern Region into a full service banking center. Philippe's office is located in Bellingham. A graduate of University of Texas Graduate School of Banking, Philippe's career started thirty years ago while attending Evergreen State College when he was recruited by Evergreen Savings and Loan to enter into a one-year management training program. Prior to joining Seattle Savings Bank, Philippe was the Executive Vice President of The Bank of the Pacific, where he was responsible for the development of the Commercial Real Estate and Residential Lending Division.

Amber Olson, CPA, joined Seattle Savings Bank in 2007 as Vice President to help establish the bank's first branch in Whatcom County. Amber currently focuses on commercial real estate lending. Before joining Seattle Savings Bank, Amber was a Credit Administrator with a privately held community bank. She was a member on the Senior Loan Committee and was responsible for the review and approval of commercial, consumer, and real estate loans. Prior to joining the banking industry, Amber was a public accountant with Moss Adams, LLP and audited financial institutions. Amber graduated from the University of Washington in 2001 with a degree in Business Administration. In addition, Amber is a Certified Public Accountant and has completed the Bank Administration Institute (BAI) Loan Review Certificate Program.